CBO Analysis Renews Calls for SGR Repeal

The repeal bill has the support of key physicians associations, including the AMA and the American Academy of Family Physicians.

"By permanently repealing the SGR formula, we end repeated threats to physicians' ability to provide care for Medicare beneficiaries," Jeff Cain, MD, president of the AAFP said in a media release.

"Equally important, this bill paves the way for innovations such as the patient-centered medical home. In doing so, it moves toward a system that improves quality while it restrains the growth in costs. We need to make sure our patients can get the right care from the right health care professional at the right time."

Richard "Buz" Cooper, MD, director of the Center for the Future of the Healthcare Workforce at New York Institute of Technology and a healthcare economist at the University of Pennsylvania, calls the new estimates and the legislation to repeal the SGR "an essential step." However, he urged caution.